Out Board looks back on ‘busiest summer’ of outdoor shows

As the UK enters another unpredictable season of torrential weather and dark winter days, TiMax developer Out Board has been combating the familiar doom and gloom by recalling its ‘busiest summer ever’.

The claim follows a prolific run of outdoor shows using the TiMax SoundHub spatialisation and TiMax Tracker performer tracking automation systems earlier in 2016.

Kicking off at Erfurt Domfest, TiMax SoundHub and TiMax Tracker brought Tosca to glory with rental partners Neumann and Muller. Next, TiMax was present at the opening ceremonies of Switzerland’s ground-breaking Gotthard Tunnel. With world leaders in attendance, Basel-based Audiopool provided sound production and put TiMax Tracker to work imaginatively, but most atypically, as a visual cueing aid to manage audio localisation down the length of the elongated arena.

TiMax was also specified for Switzerland’s large-scale Thunersee Festspiele with its picturesque Swiss lakeside backdrop, as well as for the Hollywood classic of Some Like It Hot, renamed Sugar for this production.

At the Grafenegg Wolkenturm, with its architecturally breathtaking stage and parkland setting, it was the classical that was warmed by TiMax. Additionally, the Midsummer Nights prelude and following season of premier orchestral and operatic concerts were transparently reinforced with TiMax spatial amplification.

This summer also saw some more unusual performances seek out TiMax, including in Besel, Netherlands, where it was called upon to assist with the seven-yearly revival of Draak Steken. The arena-scale extravaganza sees the whole town’s residents bring to life the legend of ‘George and the Dragon’, complete with the slaying of a TiMax Tracker stalked giant fire-breathing dragon (pictured).

Back in the UK, an ethereal symphony of music and 40,000 bees emerged from Wolfgang Buttress’s Milan Expo 2015 The Hive art installation, which is now installed for two years in Kew Gardens. Be Play One, a TiMax-spatialised performance version of the soundscape, with live musicians and audio samples of 40,000 bees, has toured Glastonbury, Blue Dot, End Of The Road and Down By The River summer festivals.

On familiar territory, TiMax saw its 10th year at the Basel Tattoo, and was also in place at the Edinburgh Tattoo for its 16th year running, performing the vital role of managing musical timings and imaging for multiple amplified marching audio sources and playback.

http://www.outboard.co.uk/